Connect with Randy Granger

Randy on Spotify

Randy on YouTube

INSTAGRAM

Support Randy on PATREON

I find myself back in Joplin, MO JOMO doing a concert exactly two years after I was here last time. I am always inspired by how the community came together after the 2011 F5 tornado. The F5 tornado killed 161 people. It shredded entire neighborhoods. More than 900 homes were lost. Big box stores collapsed. The destruction was complete, the landscape rendered foreign. There are huge swaths of land that simply didn't exist afterwards. Instant fields.

As I spoke with folks here and heard their stories I learned how a dominantly white, conservative town dropped those walls to help each other out. Countless stories of people unselfishly letting people into their homes, feeding, clothing, sharing and giving. Joplin, by all accounts, is a different community now. A better community. You still see poor mostly white people here in need. Meth, rhythm etc. are a problem, but even with that you have small pockets of people coming together to address those issues.

Before the tornado of May 22, 2011, Joplin had been in serious decline with businesses boarded up downtown, jobs existent, the mine had closed and Joplin had pretty much been written off. It is a very conservative, white, christian based town with many churches that dominate the culture. What I've heard is that after the tornado is that people came together and it literally brought people together to help and search for survivors in the destruction. Even Obama, who came a week after, was received so well with only one protester from the Westbury Baptist church, those idiots. But, he was escorted away, thankfully.

After the disaster stories of beings who protected, shielded and helped survivors began to circulate. Numerous stories from all kinds of people were spread. These stories all talked about these beings with wings who would help and wrap their wings around people. Even stories about the "Butterfly People" ferrying the ones killed up to the sky were told by many. They didn't call them angels at all. Instead they looked to people like human like butterflies. Read these accounts below or look them up. There is even a Butterfly Mural in town along with a huge growth of murals in Joplin.

There are so many stories about the Butterfly People from people of all faiths, backgrounds etc. Some are here of them: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread797294/pg1

The tornado unleashed stories about death and unlikely survival: A teenager sucked from an SUV, a toddler plucked from his mother's arms, houses that exploded in 200-mph winds as families huddled in bathtubs and closets. For months, just about any place people gathered, the stories spilled out, including stories about the butterfly people.

"Pastor Wermuth also told of a church across from the Joplin High School where people had gathered early for the evening service. They were told to get to the basement quickly. (There was one casualty in that location.) All four walls of the church fell to the basement, trapping the people underneath the rubble. Six large men arrived and lifted the four walls up, allowing the survivors to climb out. When rescue squads arrived and inquired how they got out, everyone had the same report: Six big men lifted the walls up and allowed them to climb out. And when everyone was out, they walked away, saying they had to go dig others out. All were very descriptive and emphatic about the six large men-all telling the same story the same way to the rescuers. The rescuers in disbelief explained, there is no way 6 men can lift all 4 of these walls."

My concert and workshop were wonderful. The Joplin Globe ran a great article and it helped bring folks out. You have no idea whatsoever as an independent musician, who and how many people will come out to your shows ever. It is scary and a nervous faith game. I'm so grateful for those who came out yesterday and last night. Also for my friend the minister of Unity of Joplin here, Gordon Keylor, for hosting me and promoting it so well. Very grateful for friends like him. I know him from New Mexico and we share stories and a love of green chile and the Land of Enchantment.

I'm off to perform a House Concert in West Des Moines and stay with good friends there too. I could not do what I do and make a living at it without my many good friends around the country. After Iowa I'm off the World of Faeries Festival in S. Elgin then Chicago Stomp before rushing back to New Mexico to teach music educators around rhythm and movement. Check my calendar for details.

I hope this update finds everyone healthy and well as can be. What an incredibly hot summer it has been here in southwestern New Mexico and the Borderlands area. We’ve had weeks of over 100 degree temps as high as 113 here. The fact that we are around 4,000ft above sea level means we really experience those UV rays.

I’ve been very busy on the road and performing locally as well including with my friend Jake Mossman for his Flamenco Friday series. What a blast to play with the 12/8 rhythms and different forms of Flamenco like Tangos etc. Also I drummed with my friends for our First Friday Ramble art walk earlier this month. I always enjoy drumming, my first instrument from time I bought a 50cent pair of drumsticks when I was 5 or 6.

While we were drumming I was incognito as it were with dark shades and a big hat. We had a good time drumming in front of the Art Y Mas studio and gallery. People would walk up, however, and begin talking to me and asking question after question. That is fine except that it was in the middle of a song. This isn’t the first time or last that has happened. I’m never sure what to say to people other than that I will talk to them when I am done? That hasn’t worked. It is a trend and reflects the idea that artists, musicians etc. aren’t actually “working” when they see us. We are friends. We are, and we are usually trying to concentrate. I posted on facebook and the comments were typical from non-musicians. Some other artists chimed in with their similar stories. Some were funny others involved someone taking a swing at a flute player, interrupting on stage, complaining to management etc. I’ve been there. So, dear friends, when you see this happening to us feel free to intervene and explain, one listener to the other, that we are “working here” and whatever pressing question they have can wait till we are done and that we are more than happy to speak then.

I’m heading on the road up the Midwest again. Honored to be performing again the World of Faeries Festival in S. Elgin, IL, Tribal Stomp in Chicago, teaching a workshop, performing a concert and for the Sunday service for my return at Unity of Joplin and another house concert at my lovely friend Jeanne’s home in West Des Moines. Then I head back to New Mexico for a Drumming and Movement workshop for music educators and a private political fundraiser in Placitas, NM.

In the meantime finishing recording tracks for upcoming new album, which I am so excited about. Doing my best to fit it in amidst touring and performing. Here is a new track from it called “Prana” which is exclusively on my Bandcamp page. Please download it for a small fee. I get about $1.50 of that $2.00.

Hope to see some of you out there at my shows, festivals etc. I sure appreciate all of you. Wish me well. You can always check my Calendar for details.

Hello friends. I was in Albuquerque last weekend to play and teach at the Albuquerque Folk Festival at the Ballon museum. What a lovely venue. It was a nice festival with lots of acoustic music. I had a mention in the paper that was amusing.

“We have a really diverse thing culturally,” Day said. (festival director) “We’ve got gypsy blues and folk jazz. We’ve got bluegrass. We’ve got Americana and Chicana. We’ve got an Irish and Appalachian duo, Púca. (We have) a Native American, who plays flute and is a singer-songwriter and a storyteller, I think that will be really interesting. (His name is) Randy Granger. He’s from Las Cruces."

I did feel like a novelty or at least folks were certainly commenting on my appearance, braids, steam-punk top hat, boots, concho belt. My workshop went really well I felt with lots of questions asked and answered. My set was fine though I have no idea what folks were expecting. You never know at a new venue. I'm grateful for new listeners and new audiences too. Quite a few mentioned they hope I come back. I encouraged them to let the organizers know that as I always do.

Sadly, that morning, June 3rd, as I was eating breakfast inside the Frontier restaurant I heard my car description and license plate over the intercom asking me to go to my vehicle. I did, with a sinking feeling I might add. My back passenger window had been shattered. From my seat was stolen a new hand pan made by Arcana that I'd only had for two weeks. What a horrible realization. I was parked out on the street, it was broad daylight, lots of people around, the instrument was covered of course. They also took my toiletry bag which was next to it. This, of course means they were looking for prescription drugs most likely.

I had to go to the festival and function, which was a challenge I will tell you. But I am a professional so I sucked it up and did my best. I talked to every security guard there for advice. Finally, one mentioned the APD had recently hired over two doz PSA's or rookies assigned the task of taking mobile police reports. Once I found the number I called knowing it could take hours. And it did. I couldn't file online because the value of the instrument. By the third time dispatch called me I mentioned I was waiting to drive back to Las Cruces where I live three hours south. The officer, Baca, came soon after that. She gave me some advice on pawn shops. Luckily my friend Mark who lives in a nearby community came out and brought a huge piece of cardboard and some tape. We set up a temp window as the vibrating inside the cabin was very intense especially at hiway speeds three hours.

I've posted the info everywhere online, craigslist, reportit leadsonline, etc. you name it. Folks have helped spread the word on facebook. I don't know I will ever see it again. See, when you know about how criminals work they want something they can get rid of fast for cash. That cash is for drugs more often than not. I had to pay to replace the window yesterday, a cool $280 bucks and my 6th window replaced. The others were from rocks on the road. Ugh.

Albuquerque is notorious, just google it, for musicians having all of their gear stolen while at a hotel, eating, loading etc. Mostly the thieves just unhitch the locked trailer full of gear or uhaul. It happens to people moving and stopping overnight so often it's not even newsworthy. Everyone I talked to Saturday had a long list of stolen stories, car break ins, home burglary etc. It is so common people expect it. I heard there used to be alerts to musicians to actually avoid the area all together because of thefts. The pawn industry is huge in Albuquerque. I have never seen such huge pawn ships as the ones I visited Saturday looking for my pan. Drugs and crime affect everyone up and down the line. I'm not the first or last musician to have their gear stolen. I know a lot of musicians and have heard all their stories, sadly. Contact the APD if you have any news or leads please.

I have asked the makers to get to work on a replacement pan as this was the only one they made this scale. I had recorded two songs with it the brief time I had it. How i will pay for the replacement I don't actually know yet. I'm hoping some offers to help me financially will pan out. NO pun meant at all. I'm just sick about loosing it but the support has been encouraging though some of the comments are hard to take.

If you would like to contribute I would appreciate any help offered. You can PayPal me by clicking here. I can't print my email address here because then I get ridiculous amounts of spam. I'm not doing a burglary because I might run one in support of new album and you do have to pay a fee to them as well.

Here is a new music video for my song “Dancing Skin” from 2012’s Strong Medicine album. Strong Medicine was of course funded via Kickstarter, thankfully. The entire album was a chronicle of my caregiving and loss of my late partner, Wayne Crawford, to pancreatic cancer. The lyrics are based on his “Sun Waltz” poem set to melody and music. I’m grateful to have that. It was a very challenging record to write and record as emotions of grief etc. were still fresh. He wrote about dance in many of his poems, the dance of life, of relationships, of sex, of intimacy etc. I hope you enjoy it.

I’m in Albuquerque tonight. Tomorrow I perform again at the Gathering of Nations, North America’s largest powwow. And it is huge. Besides the fact that we aren’t paid, pay our own parking, travel, room etc, I am honored to be a part. Whether I break even, well, let’s just say this is my homage to my ancestors. No one cannot help but be moved to heightened emotions when you see the couple thousand dancers from all over the world during the grand entry. It says to me that we are here, strong, proud and resilient. Every time I get booked to play it I have conflicted feelings, as I never even break even. Yet, people come down to the stadium floor and tell me how much my music moved them. So we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.

After that I head back to Las Cruces to deliver the inspirational message, sermon, and music at Wellspring, a new thought church based in religious science, which I practice. Ernest Holmes started it in the early decades of the 20th century. This is my third sermon this month and second with music. I am extremely grateful for this growing opportunity. Writing a sermon/message takes me average three days and it is always from scratch. Much more work than music. Haha. Then Algernon D’Ammassa and I return to Hillsboro, NM to perform An Iliad as our company Theatre Dojo. We are grateful for the opportunity.

Yes, it’s a killer weekend in three cities and I had another request to do music in Albuquerque Sunday at the First Unitarian Universalist church but had to decline. We moved it to Mother’s day May 14. Please come. It is nothing compared to last weekend however. I left very early Friday morning to get to Hooker, OK for the Hooker Spring Fling, my second time performing there. They try their best to incorporate a Native American element to their festivals. Good for them. Nice people and town. On the way there I was driving north on US-54 north of Carrizozo, NM through a construction zone that went down to 45mph. Those speeds are enforced 24/7 here and fines are doubled. The truck suddenly speeds up behind me and flashes and lays on his horn. He pulled back then sped up within inches of my bumper blaring and flashing. I look at him in my sideview mirror and ask, "what dude?" He becomes so angry I could see his veins bulging. He mouths, "fuck you" over and over flipping me of and is less than inches from me so I speed up. He then passes me flipping me off coming inches again from my car. He tried to run me off the road but I braked. I can't believe how angry he was. Probably was on amphetamines, but very dangerous regardless. I called the state police and reported him but never heard anything back. I've had so many experiences of road rage out there usually because I actually drive the speed limit. But, the climate since the election and new president has intensified.

They put me up at the Hooker Inn, the only game in town. At about 4am I heard shouting. Turns out it was a woman yelling at her man that she wanted to, “get drunk, get high and get fucked up.” He slurred that it was 4 in the fucking morning. She said she knew where some liquor is and was challenging him. When he refused she told me that he was partying with his kids in the room so he was a pussy. I don’t know, it was something like that. I put my pillow over my head. She was pissed off so she went in the truck and played loud music. What a trip.

After my second set I had to leave immediately as I had a gig in Houston, TX at 11am the next morning. I drove very hard through some seriously Christ, camouflage and pickups. Billboards telling you to pray for the unborn, the country, the schools, the town etc. It was creepy especially at night. And, to top it off I had been listening to the S-Town podcast so was especially sensitive to the redneck aspect of that part of Texas in particular. Nothing against rednecks, I’m related to some, but I’ve never felt welcome or safe with my features driving through such areas.

I stopped in Buffalo, TX in desperate need of sleep. I slept a couple of hours then was on the road for the final two hours to Houston. I live on coffee, great music and podcasts when I’m on the road. I don’t know how I do it, but I know I’m not the first musician/entertainer to work this hard. It’s not like I get a paycheck so each gig is my paycheck. I try and post pics on my Instagram feed. Please follow.

I was set to deliver the message, story for all ages and the music for the Earth Day service at Unitarian Fellowship of Houston. I’ve been there before and it is a beautiful venue with a glass back stage so the congregation sees trees, birds and squirrels. I enjoy it there. That said, being me brings out “things” in people I just patiently deal with because, I guess, I’m just that different or exotic enough to bring out the quiet, closet racist in everyone. Things people say to me across the country is so jaw dropping that I’m putting it in an eBook. And while the lovely people in Houston weren’t mean this is exactly some of what I heard in the first ten minutes of walking into the church. And I quote:

“You look very, very……”

Me, “very what?”

“Very, very, very different. You look less Native American looking than last time. You look oriental, or Chinese or Asian. Your braid looks like a Chinaman”

“You don’t look as Chinese with your braid and hat (a very nice Kufi cap) but you look like Kung Fu. But you look Mongolian, hello. Anyone just has to look at you and know you look Mongolian. Or Japanese.”

“I should have brought my drum too. I should have brought my flute too. I guess I didn’t listen to my guides today. I should have. Are you affiliated with a tribe? Which one? Do you believe in god? Do you follow or are you influence by your tribe? Do you practice the Indian religion or spirituality? What do they call it? Do you make your own drums? Flutes? Do you……”

I cut her short after answering only one of those questions. I said, “You have reached your limit of questions I’m going to even consider. You can read my website like everyone else.”

She left and returned with my cd’s in hands and asked which was my favorite CD. I said all of them. She replied, “you’re lying. You’re just trying to get rid of me.” You think?

I replied that I found people without filters often can’t handle the same back. I told her she should decide “after” she heard my music what she wanted.

It went on. But my point here is that just because someone is an entertainer, celebrity, on stage does not allow you the right to use him or her to get attention or flirt with or whatever people think they are doing. We are real, actual people and also professionals with boundaries and usually accommodating personalities that can be mistaken for your therapist. My friends tell me, “oh Randy, they are just lonely and you’re so nice and approachable.” Maybe so, but I’m not a therapist and certainly not in the profession of caring for the lonely. Compassion is one thing, but not even the Dalai Lama could do it. I’m just an inspired musician who feels everything deeply, actually listens and only says something after I’ve thought about it.

I know we are a shallow species concerned with looks. It's in our 250,000,000 or whatever genetic code in the chapter called mate finding. But, at some point, the work has to matter more. We can't all be perpetual teenagers.

That people connect with my music is a gift and privilege. That some want all your attention when you are working is not fair and crosses boundaries I no longer want to entertain. I’ve had actual, real stalkers. They are scary. When you meet a musician or writer you admire just be cool. Tell them you like their work and say thank for coming etc. Understand his or her time is being shared with everyone present and once again, we are only human. Realize that they hear everyone’s personal stories over and over and over and no one can handle that. Unless, that is, they are a professional listener.

Thank you and I look forward to chatting with you. You really want to endear yourself, show up with coffee.

I am that musicians who hates facebook. Join my support group only IF you are another musician, have had to promote and beat the social media bushes to get people to attend anything and if have ever had people post that Amanda Palmer Ted Talk, “The Art of Asking” on your wall. Feel me? More on her ruinment of this later.

I have other musician friends, gratefully. Like me they spend ALL their time, except for the two hours we actually perform, booking, soliciting and promoting gigs. It is a non-paying, full-time job. Not whining. Those are the actual facts. No alternative facts here y’all. Once the gig is inked we commence to create a facebook event page, a poster/flyer (I still don’t know the difference), post it on minuscule, our “Fan” page (I know what a joke right?), on every single radio, newspaper, magazine, weekly, online everything, create an email blast, send reminders, messages, beg for interviews, send out press releases and packets….yeah you get the point. We pimp ourselves out just to get you to maybe not just scroll over and actually consider coming to the show.

Then we hear:

Don’t you have a show or something? Did it already happen? When is the show? Where is the show? How much is the show? Oh, I ignore those facebook invites. I was too busy doing (insert anything) to pay attention. I don’t really spend much time on facebook. (right, which is why I see your name on every like above and below my gig.)

Point being, the clamor for attention is fierce online. I mean fierce. I have researched the hell out of all this. I have too. Adult spend over 20 hours a week online. Way conservative in my experience. Website visitors spend between 3-5 seconds on your website before leaving. If people have to leave facebook to view your event, poster, info 99% will not do it. In other words—here’s the shocker—people are Reverberation addicted to facebook. I’ve read more research than you’d think exists about this subject. It is an actual release of hormones seated deep in our approval centers that rush through the person seeing a “like” on their post and equally when someone they think should be liking, doesn’t.

We are addicted to both hormonal rushes. Don’t think so? Just be with those who can’t let 45 seconds go without checking their phone or facebook. I’ve been with them. Trust me.

So for the indie musician just working to get “butts in seats” as we call it, we are not offering anything “feel good hormone” worthy so people don’t click, like, comment. Once I experimented and thanked every single person who liked a post. The response was tremendous. They saw that “they” were special. But that, as Amanda Palmer, exampled can lead to a weird cultish, frenzied, fanzatical following I’ve no interest in cultivating. I’ve already had real stalkers and it is scary. Palmer herself experienced that before finally turning her attention volume to 10 from 11.

We, the musician who must promote promote promote constantly are seen as “ugh, just shameless self promotion again, god what an ego.” I’ve had that said to me many times by friends. Well, no friends any longer but you get the point. What the civilian sees as ego, because they would have an ego if they had talent, couldn’t be further from the truth for most of us musicians. There are musicians, like Palmer, more of a 24/7 performer in my opinion, who promote “themselves” constantly as opposed to their work and gigs. Those are indeed annoying but it eventually becomes effective. A recent study discovered a strong connection between Facebook and the brain’s reward center, called the nucleus accumbens. This area processes rewarding feelings about things like food, sex, money and social acceptance.

See if you can live with the caricature you create for yourself, people eventually buy into it. I’ve done it to shorter extent and the attention I received along with the really persona, uncomfortable phone calls, messages, emails, mail, etc. made me realize that indeed, I am a musician first and foremost. An actual, trained, disciplined, very hard working musician who wants people to hear my music and to come to my live shows. Beyond that I need to make a living at this to keep doing it. Capiche?

Recently, I had the flu. I posted a humorous account of it saying how I was getting abs again from coughing so much and only all of my ached so I was good. The comments of unsolicited advice I received as well as facebook messages caused me more stress than being sick. People told me to stick garlic cloves in my ears, put garlic and oil and chili paste in a netti pot up my nose, drink a box of baking soda, take this herb, stand on my head, smudge, ask forgiveness, snort capsicum etc. For some reason my persona is one people think they need to give advice too. Only when I’m asking for it folks, which is about .00001% of the time. I had to laugh.

Why? Because when I post a new video I will see it has 1500 views and 6 likes. Gig notices? Even less. NPR feature? Less. Print interview or article. Less.

My conclusions are that people don’t notice anything you promote unless it has something to do with them. Period. You must hold their hand through what you need them to do. You must promote everything, all the time, constantly, without ever letting up. I calculated I have to do about 5 hours worth of promotional work for every 1 seat filled at my gig. Think about that.

When Amanda Palmer’s book and ted talk came out the link was shared on my wall and in messages over 100 times. All women. They were telling me see she knows how to ask for help. They thought they were being helpful bless them. If you know her story you know she is a performer who’s “..rise to increased public visibility has come largely care of her willingness to treat the world as part piggy bank, part personal assistant. She stonewalls in the face of criticism. She’s got a large, vocal, and aggressively evangelistic fanbase;” as Wired put it.

She also constantly and I mean constantly was screaming (yes men scream too) for the media especially to “look at me. Look at me. I am not giving up until you LOOK AT ME.” They did, she then went on attack saying quite scrutinizing me you meanies. You get what you ask for. She asked musicians to famously work for “Beer and hugs.” Ahhhh That’s like when I used to play bars and they would say at least you got some gas money. Yeah I’ll tell that to my car loan company, my insurance agent, my utilities, my etc.

For me though, what really hurt we indie musician, and those of use who have used crowd funding, that Palmer’s over the top persona was this: She forced people to deal with her persona. She is a street performer y’all don’t forget that. When she got the world looking at her they said whatcha got? It was as if she said, oh I didn’t think that far through. So then she quits her major record label deal. Let me say that again, she quits her major record label deal, something I don’t have. She said look how easy it is for me to ask my rabid, millions of fans to support my 1.2 million kickstarter. Oh gosh y’all I only asked for $100,000. Yeah uh huh. I barely squeaked my $3500.00 Kickstarter campaign and had to sell couple thousand worth of instruments to make up just the CD productions costs after that.

I’m very grateful for my fan base. It is minuscule by comparison. I work just as hard as Ms. Palmer, oops I don’t know if she took literary luminary Neil Gaiman’s last name or not. I’d take the Kardashian’s last name if they would help me get a record deal. But I’m easy. So I do have some really wonderful and generous fans that help me with House Concerts, shows, booking and offer me a place to stay on the road. I simply could not do it otherwise. That is an actual fact. But, to tell me look what Palmer did. Yeah, it is well intentioned but not thought out. Nuff said before I just get all truthy.

I had a phone call last night from someone wanting to know the information on my House Concert tomorrow? First off. My phone number isn’t on my website nor on the event or poster. Yeah if you look hard enough you could find it. No matter I don’t answer it unless I recognize the number. Anyway my House Concert was March 5th and this gig is March 18th. But the caller wanted all the information because they didn’t recognize the House or street name. It is a church called St. Andrews…..yeah I don’t get it either. Point being, I know not everyone is facebook savvy, but really this is someone, like so many, wanting personal attention and hand-holding so they will feel special. And that, like I said earlier, is what Everyone wants and expects on social media. When I get a staff of more than one, as in me, I will appoint someone to do just that with every YouTube message, email, phone call, post, comment I receive daily. Until then I’ll suck it up and do my best to remind every single listener and potential concert attendee they are indeed very special to me and I couldn’t do anything without them.

Also, that I do have a website calendar with all the information. But then again, you might have leave facebook. Dang.

"Somewhere on the way from ethnic specialty music to the therapeutic edge of popular culture, the Native American flute took on a new mission. Originally used only by a few southwestern tribes like the Anasazi and the Lakota Sioux, the buttery tone and serene energy of these soft cedar instruments opened up a new audience for meditation and stress reduction.

For a few years in the 1980s and 90s, the Native flute found itself within the then-burgeoning new age genre, but as new age faded became a specialty music once again. It's a story that helps separate musicians who are called to the instrument, from those who merely follow popular trends.

In the hands of a master, the cedar flute creates a world of sound that evokes the vast spaces of the American West, opens the heart and summons the spirit. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another journey in the gentle world of the Native American flute, on a program called TWILIGHT MESA."

Featuring music from Coyote Odman, Randy Granger, Ann Licater, Scott August, Peter Kater & Carlos Nakai among others. Tune in online at www.hos.com or find where to listen in your area at https://www.hos.com/#stations

My EP Desert Dreaming under my project name Lone Granger had been nominated for two Indian Summer Music Awards, ISMA. Today at the awards ceremony it won best "Spiritual" album for "Shaman's Dancing" from Desert Dreaming. I really very honored. It is a juried awards that passes a jury of initial listeners then up to five finalists go to judges from the Native American Music Industry. That is a huge honor because it means professionals who hear a LOT of great music think enough of your music to vote on it. The one with the most votes from the panels wins.

Desert Dreaming is my four-song EP of songs all written on the 3-string Cigar Box Guitar made for my by Frank Harter of Utah. He goes under RavenWingFlutes online and on Etsy I believe. Fantastically gifted instrument maker, musician and a great guy who works more than full-time at a day job occasionally cranking out amazing instruments.

The NAMMY's are a different story and that's where I very much need your vote now! Please share with all of your friends and contacts. Here's the email from the NAMMY's this evening:

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE! 25,000 COMPLETED BALLOTS IN 2016 NAMMY’S WITH NOMINEES ONLY SINGLE VOTES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER!

I'm very honored to announce my EP Desert Dreaming under project name Lone Granger has received two Indian Summer Music Award nominations ISMA, for 2016. It also received a couple of New Mexico Music Awards nominations and is up in the preliminary NAMMY nominations. Awards, while nice, are like resume items. In fact recently I was having a conversation with a big festival organizer. I asked how the committee goes about choosing performers to perform. I was told they just looked at the awards and went from there. 100% truth.

Awards matter to others, to fans, to festivals, to bookers, to everyone else but the musician it seems. That is my case anyway. I often forget or am on the road when the deadline for these awards come around and miss it. Plus it costs money to enter awards contests. Some more expensive than others. That being said I am still honored because ISMA send their entries out to experts in Native American music. Folks who are in the music industry listen and judge each one. That says a lot to me instead of the on-line popularity voting type of award that I'm not crazy about. I'm already introverted enough but to have to beg and hassle people to vote for you makes me feel like I'm pandering. I do enough begging in my music career as it is.

Below are the categories for my nominations:

Central/South American Indigenous - Lone Granger - "Shamans Dancing"

Spiritual - Lone Granger - "Shamans Dancing"

"Shaman's Dancing" is my favorite song on the EP Desert Dreaming. I would love to make a video for it with my friends all drumming and dancing. My ancestor was a seer, shaman, whatever you wish to call it, for a tribe in what is now Mexico. Since childhood I've had visions that I later understood were signs of a Shamanic Path. Shamans are just appointed. They must demonstrate understanding and then learn learn learn and apprentice many years. Of course Shamans are universal in every indigenous culture on the planet.

When I wrote and recorded this song I was picturing Shamans dancing round a fire under the Milky Way in ceremony. Thy lyrics say, "Calling peace/Calling love/Calling Joy/Calling grace." If you want to get the song my website has various ways to buy it via my website store, iTunes, CDBaby or Amazon.com. Just please buy it and don't steal it. It's not exactly expensive. Thank you. And please share my news with others.

I'm here in S. Elgin, IL again performing at the World of Faeries Festival on the Fox River under ancient Oak trees. I love it and look forward to seeing some of you again. If you know folks in the greater Chicago area please let them know. After this I'm to do shows in Iowa, Omaha and Lawrence, KS. All the dates are on my website calendar.

"This same person was at another show where I was in the audience. ..... and said, “I looked over at you during their play. It’s as if I could see music flowing out of you. You just exude music. It’s in your being. It was like the music that was in the play was coming from you.” He went on, but suffice to say I was so humbled and almost in tears. He was commenting on the melodies I composed for our play and I laughed saying compose was a kind word, but that actually I improvise the whole time. His face was a giant incredulous, open-mouthed “Wha???” and I loved it."